SHUT OUT by Kody Keplinger [review]

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

Published: September 5th, 2011 | Poppy
Age: Young Adult
Pages: 273
Acquired: Borrowed from friend.

Overall:

Review: Lissa's had enough of the rivalry between the football team--which her boyfriend is the quarterback of--and the soccer team. So, she's come up with a plan to end it. A hook-up strike. And at first she thinks all is well, but things start unraveling quickly. Especially when she is reacquainted with Cash Sterling.

From the beginning I could just tell that her relationship with Randy wasn't as solid as she wanted to believe it to be. And I knew that this "Shut Out" would be far easier than she thought. Except for when it came to her realization that Randy was quite a douche and she may have feelings for Cash. I loved that the many.... many girls in this strike became friends from this and learned a lot about themselves. Old friends who had a falling out became friends again and enemies even began to become civilized.
That and Cash were my favorite parts of the book.

Cash was adorable and there just wasn't enough of him. His last name is Sterling which made me think of the actor Sterling Knight, which in turn made me think of knight in shining armor... which he kind of was.

After reading, and loving, The DUFF I kind of expected a little more oomph out of this one. And because of that, it's why I gave it a 3 star rating. This one has more of a basic contemporary feel to it. More young adult that The DUFF did. But I still enjoyed it and can't wait for more from Kody!

Plot: 1/2
Characters:
Ending:
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Author Info:
Kody Keplinger was born and raised in rural western Kentucky, where she attended high school and began writing her first long pieces of fiction. Kody wrote THE DUFF during her senior year at McLean County High School. Kody is now twenty and lives in New York City, where she continues to write YA novels. SHUT OUT, her second novel, will be out in September 2011 and another, A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE, due in 2012. She loves books, Converse tennis shoes, New York City, and popular TV teen dramas. When she isn't writing, she's spending time with her friends and exploring New York City. Kody is a contributor to the writing blog YA Highway and a member of the contemporary, realistic YA fiction group The Contemps.

Check Kody on: website | twitter | Blogger | YA Highway | The Contemps

CHAIN REACTION by Simone Elkeles [review]

Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

Published: August 16th, 2011 | Walker Books for Young Readers
Age: Young Adult
Pages: 308
Acquired: Borrowed from friend.

Overall:

Review: I wasn't all that thrilled to read this book. I enjoyed the first two but it kind of got predictable as to what would happen not only at the end but throughout the entire book. And this one felt like it was basically just the first two combined.

I love the Fuentes brothers. They're fun. But this whole gang thing was getting annoying and I was just over it.
This time around I loved the girl's, Nikki, chapters better than the boy's, Luis.

One thing Simone Elkeles knows how to do... make out scenes. I shall call her "Queen of the Makeout Scene"! Seriously though, they're hot! And the only time I cared much about this book was when Nikki and Luis were together. When it got to the talk of gang related things, I started slowing down, and getting frustrated. Maybe it's because I hate violence. Or just because I was over it after two other books. But I just know I'm glad this is the last book in the series.

Now, I shall become positive: I loved that the other Fuentes boys, Carlos & Alex were in this one along with Brittany and Kiara. Kiara and Carlos are still my favorite couple of the three. I loved that we finally got to meet their mom, though we didn't really get to know her enough.

I love Simone Elkeles's writing style, but some of her Spanish kind of  annoys me. Just saying.

I have read every Elkeles book and her How to Ruin series is still my favorite. I just wish she would have added at least one more book to it! (Check them out.)

Plot:
Characters:
Ending:
Writing:
Cover: 1/2



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Author Info:
Simone Elkeles is the NY Times & USA Today bestselling author of over seven teen romance novels. She has won various awards and recognition for her books, including the coveted RITA award from the Romance Writers of America for her book Perfect Chemistry and being named Author of the Year by the Illinois Association of Teachers of English. She was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. Her funny way of looking at life and the world around her has an effect on the people she hangs out with. If you hear people laughing, you’ll probably find Simone not far away.

Check out Simone: website | goodreads | twitter | facebook

Teaser Tuesday! (001)

 Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

I walk home, glad mi'amá is working so I can be alone and lock myself in my room. The second I walk in the house, I realize that's not an option. Both of my brothers are sitting on the couch in the living room. I haven't seen Carlos in over a year, and wasn't expecting him to be released from the hospital in Germany until next week. He looks fine, but when he gets up I can tell it's not without pain.

-pg. 152 

WINTERTOWN by Stephen Emond [review]

Wintertown by Stephen Emond


Published: December 5th, 2011 | Little, Brown Books
Age: Young Adult
Pages: 336
Acquired: ARC

Overall:

Review: The summary for this book had me extremely excited to read it. I was hoping it'd be just like it sounded, but for me, it wasn't.
In my opinion is was just another YA contemporary read with comic strips attached. And, the comics were my favorite part.

I never really got to know Evan or Lucy, they just seemed like people you got to watch from afar, but not allowed to get too close to. But when we were allowed into their little world, I enjoyed learning about them, especially when Lucy finally decided to speak.  But her sudden change was just off-putting, I really didn't find her reasoning behind it to be very dramatic. It was actually whiny. She had options. She made bad choices. I didn't feel sorry for her.
But, with that, I felt bad for Evan. He's a people-pleaser and he just never seemed very happy. From the beginning the end, he just wanted to make sure everyone around him was happy before him.

Evan's grandmother was the comic relief, in my opinion, the rest of the story just seemed to go on.

I don't regret reading this, but I wouldn't have been disappointed if I'd have never read it.

But, don't let that stop you. I've read quite a bit of mixed reviews, so give it a try. :)

(PS. There's a shameless plug for his other book Happyface in here. Look for it!)


Plot:
Characters: 1/2
Ending:
Writing: 1/2
Cover:


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Author Info:
Steve Emond does not have any superhuman powers, neat tricks, or famous relatives, but he’s a pretty cool guy who can draw. He is the creator of Emo Boy, which ran for 12 issues and two collections, and the comic strip, Steverino. He grew up in Connecticut, where he wrote and directed a public access sketch comedy show that only his grandmother watched.
Wintertown is his second published book. Happyface is his first.

Check out Stephen on: website  | twitter | facebook | goodreads | deviantart